Suicide

October is National Bullying Prevention Month, making it an ideal time to examine some of the crucial factors surrounding this hot-button issue. Bullying touches families from coast to coast and in all demographic areas. The more we can shed light on it and learn to understand it, the better equipped we will be as a nation to help prevent it from happening.

One could argue that raising a child can be counted among the greatest and most underestimated acts of heroism. Why? It is a courageous act whereby you are providing a lifetime of love, hope, protection and guidance for your children. But what happens when a parent suffers the loss of a child due to a preventable tragedy such as gun violence? It is then that parents really must dig deep and find their strength. The result? Heroes walking among us.

When I began this podcast, I never imagined that I would meet real live superheroes. Kirk Smalley is the President of StandForTheSilent.org. This nonprofit organization was started in 2010 by a group of high school students in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma after they heard the story of Kirk’s son, Ty who committed suicide after standing up to bullies in his school. Stand for the Silent has chapters in 40 states and 18 different countries. Kirk’s organization has spoken with 4,911 schools and over 3.5 million children in order to help prevent bullying.